earlier today, joe biden participated in an online chat on gun control. during the expression, he expressed support for an unlimited round of gun magazine. caused the battering firearm on a boeing 747 dreamliner earlier this month. >>> and the state overwhelmingly passed legislation opposing gay marriage. now, back to "hardball." >>> in life, as we all know, there are no guarantees of success. not everyone is going to be able to be a combat soldier. but everyone is entitled to a chance. >> welcome back to "hardball." that was defense secretary leon panetta today as he overturned a 1994 ban on women serving in combat. the truth is american women have been in combat in both iraq and afghanistan, but they have been prevented from advancing to some higher ranking positions within the military. panetta said decisions going forward must not be made based upon gender but on qualifications. >> i fundamentally believe that our military is more effective when success is based solely on ability, on qualifications, and on performance. when i have gone to bethesda to